The past month was October so I watched only horror/Halloween or Halloween-adjacent films. So, along with my usual episodic program viewing here are the movies I watched over the past month, in the comfort of my home…
The Creature Walks Among Us- The final movie in the Creature from the Black Lagoon series, probably my favorite Universal Monster. I’ve seen it many times and, while it is far from a great movie, I still enjoy it.
Constantine: City of Demons- the Movie- A pretty good Constantine movie, animated or not.
Invaders from Mars- A very poor 1986 remake of a decent ‘50’s B SF film. You can see more of my thoughts as part of my Drive-In Memories series on the 10/11 entry of the blog--→ It's A Geek's World After All - It's A Geek's World After All (weebly.com)
Cat People- See Classics section for full review.
Videodrome- I hadn’t seen this 1983 David Cronenberg film since the ‘80’s. I recalled really liking it. This time around I guess I appreciated what Cronenberg was doing more than enjoying the movie.
The Comedy of Terrors- 1963 “comedy” starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff. It’s not very good. Karloff was the only one that made me laugh even a little. Released the same year as the far superior The Raven featuring the same trio of stars.
The Thing from Another World- This is the original 1951 Howard Hawks classic. It’s a terrific movie and inspired John Carpenter’s even better 1982 remake.
Hotel Transylvania 2- I’m a sucker for this series. They make me laugh. (except for the 4th entry, of which I will not speak)
Dracula- This is the 1979 version starring Frank Langella and directed by John Badham. I recalled liking it more when I saw it the fist time, but, other than the men’s hairdo’s, it plays pretty well. I don’t understand the R rating though. It’s not overtly violent and there is no crass language or nudity.
Troll- My first viewing of this Norwegian Kaiju movie. It’s a lot of fun.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre- This was my first time seeing the 1974 original. I was surprised at how good it was. This movie basically invented the slasher genre. Carpenter improved on it in ‘78, then it got a bit out of control.
The Curse of the Werewolf- The only Werewolf movie the Hammer studio made. It’s slow and when Oliver Reed isn’t on screen is a huge bore. The werewolf make-up is pretty cool though.
Totally Killer- Back to the Future meets Friday the 13th. It’s not bad. A girl travels back to the 1980’s to save her mother’s friends from a serial killer. It is a comic/horror movie.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife- My second time seeing this direct follow up to the classic ‘80’s comedies. It’s not as funny as the originals, but I enjoy it.
Tremors 4: The Legend Begins- a prequel to the Tremors movies. (the third in the series) I’ve seen it several times and still have fun with it.
The Haunted Mansion- This is the 2023 movie. The cast is great, but I just had a hard time caring about any of it. I kept falling asleep during the final confrontation scenes.
The Witch- My first viewing of this 2015 Robert Eggers flick. I liked it, but wasn’t a fan of the end.
The Invisible Woman- See Classics section for full review
Halloween II- I’ve seen this sequel a few times but it had been a few years. It’s fine. It ticks the boxes and has a fairly satisfying ending.
Meg 2: The Trench- So, much like the first movie, I had fun with it. I didn’t go in expecting much and was satisfied with the ridiculous fun I was given.
Spirit Halloween: The Movie- You know, it’s obviously inspired by Stranger Things, but is nowhere near as clever. There are a few fun moments but, overall, not great.
Dracula- Now this is the 1974 TV movie written and directed by Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis and starring Jack Palance as the “The Count”. The whole thing is overacted, especially by Palance who seems to be having the time of his life, and tough to take seriously. It was fun to watch once you realize you can Mystery Science 3000 with it.
Hotel Transylvania 3- Again, I enjoy the first 3 movies in this series. They make me laugh out loud each time I watch them.
The Curse of Frankenstein- This is the Hammer movie that started their reign as the studio for horror for nearly 2 decades. The budget was low, but the performances are so committed that you end up with a somewhat suspenseful movie that is also easy to just kick back and have fun with. And it stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee!
Halloween H2O- When I first saw this back in 1998 I really didn’t like it. I also recalled being repulsed by li’ll Josh Hartnett’s hair. His hair is still ridiculous, but there is some enjoyable stuff in this sequel.
Slotherhouse- This is a Killer Sloth comic/horror movie. It succeeds here and there, but mostly just happens. The Sloth puppet is barely more sophisticated than the gofer puppet in Caddyshack.
Five Nights at Freddy’s- It’s fine. Not being a video game guy I didn’t have any expectations. There’s not a lot new here but it’s not terrible either.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show- My 17 year old daughter requested this one. I hadn’t seen it in over a decade myself. Watching it as home, without all the gimmicks and silliness of public exhibitions, the first half is terrific fun. Then it gets messy and loses it’s focus and direction.
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